Things to Do in Wichita Kansas
Wichita may seem like an unlikely cultured city for flyover Kansas, but this city actually offers many great activities. Visit the Wichita Art Museum with its modern building along the river for some of America’s best artwork on display.
Experience world-class theatre, symphony and concert performances at Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Wichita offers something to appeal to everyone. Take in its rich blend of centuries-old historic sites, idyllic nature areas and western culture that gives it its distinctive flavor.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita Kansas offers thrilling experiences for animal-lovers of all kinds. Just 15 minutes west of Wichita city center, this exotic destination provides unforgettable animal encounters such as feeding ring-tailed lemurs and pygmy hippos as well as Animal Meet & Greets, Behind-the-Scenes tours, Monthly Exclusive Experiences and Animal Meet & Greets; you’re sure to find plenty of fun activities here!
The Ulrich Museum of Art boasts an expansive collection of modern and contemporary artwork dating from the 20th century and beyond, covering topics like automatism and mourning through paintings, sculptures, collages, montages and montage montages. Renowned collections make this museum one of the premier Wichita attractions; don’t miss their outdoor sculpture garden as well!
Wichita Toy Train Club & Museum is an invaluable experience for train enthusiasts and their families alike, featuring O and S gauge layouts that include carnival settings, downtown scenes and mountain landscapes – not to mention regular updates posted to Facebook by the club itself! Don’t miss it when visiting Wichita!
Always something exciting is happening in the heart of Wichita: from Asian culture and cuisine at Wichita Asian Festival, to sampling local craft beers and food at Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest; Bradley Fair; or packing out streets for Open Streets ICT where you can explore your city by bike, walk, run, dancing yoga and other means!
Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center
Wichita’s entertainment and arts scene is alive and thriving, offering events to satisfy everyone’s interests and tastes. Experience passion and talent come to life at shows at Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center’s theater, concert hall and expo space; or experience live symphony and theater at Music Theatre of Wichita/Kechi Playhouse/Orpheum Theater; take part in First Friday gallery crawl or engage in interactive learning activities at Exploration Place!
Discover Kansas City’s rich culture and history when you visit the Old District, home to several museums like the Museum of World Treasures that features exhibits on shrunken heads, mummies and dinosaurs. Or learn about its aviation history at the Kansas Aviation Museum where you can see an assortment of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft along with a control tower from Latner Hanger.
Wichita offers many family-friendly activities for visitors of all ages. Visit the Great Plains Nature Center, where visitors can walk among animal habitats to experience local flora and fauna, or dive into Splash Aqua Park with its water slides, runways, jumping pillows and bouncers – not forgetting workshops/classes at CityArts like pottery making, photography glassblowing drawing & painting as well as pottery-making! Or visit Old Cowtown Museum or Wichita Art Museum where performances take place!
Wichita Art Museum
Museums on the River district is home to this 115,000-square-foot art museum that connects people and ideas through art. Their impressive collection includes works by American artists like Edward Hopper, Charles M. Russell and Mary Cassatt as well as pre-Columbian pottery pieces, Henry Moore sculptures and other notable exhibits. Additionally, this community-focused institution also provides various educational programming for kids and adults alike.
Exploration Place is one of the top things to do in Wichita with children, offering hands-on science exhibits that teach children everything from dinosaurs and weather to space and climate change. Kansas in Miniature recreates 19th-century life through animated models while Old Cowtown Museum brings frontier living back through original buildings and costumed guides. If you prefer something quieter, head over to its serene cafe for some reflection or relaxation time.
Botanica Wichita stands out as another top attraction that combines beautiful gardens with education. Notable for its commitment to horticulture and the importance of nature in everyday life, Botanica hosts events and programs to educate visitors about plants and gardening subjects such as butterfly migration experiences, carousel tours with honey tasting options, general garden tours, butterfly migration experiences, carousel rides with honey tasting services and more at this fantastic attraction.
Visit Sedgwick County Zoo is another must-do activity perfect for families with young children, and ranks as one of the city’s premier family attractions, home to an eclectic assortment of animals from across the world.
Old Cowtown Museum
Wichita offers visitors an appealing blend of centuries-old historic sites, serene nature spots and Western culture that makes for an entertaining trip. Soak up some sun at one of Wichita’s many parks; get wet and wild at Rock River Rapids or Great Plains Nature Center; discover boutique shopping at Historic Delano and Douglas Design Districts boutiques; take in a show at Orpheum Theatre where celebrities like Lyle Lovett and Indigo Girls have graced its stage; explore local shopping scene boutiques
Wichita’s Old Cowtown Museum is one of the top attractions to see and do, providing visitors with an immersive experience into Wild West life during its late 1800s heydays. Replica town and museum exhibits offer visitors a sensory introduction into life in Wichita during this era; hearing horse hooves on dirt roads, period-costumed interpreters interpreting history through period costumes, blacksmith shops and cowboy gunfights in the street makes it easy to imagine what life would have been like back then!
Old Cowtown offers several top attractions, with the Museum of World Treasures as one of them. Boasting an enormous collection of ancient artifacts spanning millennia, visitors of all ages will delight in exploring its galleries; dino skeletons tower over Egyptian mummies and Roman artifacts, while other rooms contain coins, documents, and exhibits dedicated to World Civilizations, United States presidents, as well as its presidents – making the experience truly educational!
Wichita offers many enjoyable recreational activities, from hitting the links at one of its public golf courses or trying your hand at indoor putting at Golf-In. For something different and outdoorsy, check out Bliss Climbing & Fitness or Diamond Archery; otherwise skate around Carousel Skate Center’s ice rink or challenge friends to a pickleball matchup at Chicken N Pickle – you won’t regret your visit to Wichita!
Kansas Museum of History
Wichita wouldn’t be complete without visiting its renowned museum of history! With sprawling galleries housing breathtaking artifacts from around the globe – dinosaur skeletons and Egyptian mummies to manuscripts by Mark Twain and Mozart as well as exhibits covering world civilizations, US military history and American Western history – Wichita Museum of History will prove indispensable on any visit. Additionally, Old Cowtown Museum provides visitors with a glimpse into Wichita’s past while engaging visitors through hands-on activities that bring Wichita history alive – take a stroll through Old Cowtown to experience its former role as major cattle-raising and shipping hub!
Children can explore a 1930s fire engine, try on their own firefighters’ boots, pull a fire alarm and learn more about the city’s first-ever fire dispatch system. Also featured at the Great Plains Nature Center are indoor and outdoor displays of prairie, wetland and woodland habitats.
Another must-see attraction in Wichita is The Keeper of the Plains, an impressive 5-ton statue designed by Native American artist Blackbear Bosin that stands as one of the city’s iconic symbols. Surrounded by a Ring of Fire – illuminated nightly at sunset – and depicting indigenous tribes from Wichita, its statue stands proudly amid gardens of sage, bottlebrushes, medicinal plants and prairie grasses – it truly represents all that Wichita stands stands as one.
Wichita Kansas offers many other entertaining activities to do, such as trampoline parks Aviate and Urban Air or creating an adult party palace at The Enchanted Mermaid. Summer brings food trucks and music for Bradley Fair. You can also check out MarkArts or use GoCreate/MakeICT to create something of your own or enjoy its breathtaking artworks. Or experience more local culture by discovering some longstanding shops or restaurants of Old Town.